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| Instagram plans to make changes to the homepage soon |
Instagram is planning to make changes to the navigation bar of its mobile app where it is removing one tab and replacing it with another.
Starting next month, Meta-owned Instagram will remove the Shop tab from the main bar at the bottom of the screen and move the Create New Post button to the bottom.
The Reels tab is currently in the middle of the navigation bar, replacing the Shopping tab.
The company began testing removing the Buy button from its homepage last September, saying it wanted to make Instagram easier for users to use.
But according to a report by The Information, the test is part of a larger trend at Instagram that says it's pulling shopping features that users have been asking for for some time. The company said that even without a prominent tab on the homepage, shopping will still be part of its platform.
"You'll still be able to get your Instagram store up and running, as we continue to invest in shopping experiences that highlight users and businesses in feeds, stories, short videos, ads, and more," the company said in an article on its support page, addressing users.
It should be noted that like other social media platforms, Instagram has invested in shopping tools to entice users to shop within the app in hopes of increasing sales.
While personalized product recommendations will continue to appear in the Shopping tab on Instagram, it's unclear what will happen when the tab is removed as part of changes planned for next month.